


Power Play!

by LeastStealthyM8



Category: Mahou Sensei Negima!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hockey, F/F, Old work, konosetsu - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-26
Updated: 2018-04-26
Packaged: 2019-04-28 06:58:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 20,601
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14443860
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LeastStealthyM8/pseuds/LeastStealthyM8
Summary: A/U. Mahora Academy is known for its amazing high school hockey team. A new player is needed, a mysterious new student joins class 3-A, and Konoka gets a hopeful and promising fortune... What is to become of Mahora's pride and joy?Originally posted on ff.net, was on hiatus but will now continue on both sites.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> For anyone who had started reading this back on ff years ago, hopefully if you aren't on that site anymore you're on here. Sorry for the hiatus of five odd years, I promise that I am coming back strong to this story and that it will be finished. I'll post the previous chapters as fast as I can, then I'll get right on the new ones that i'll be posting first on ff. Long live KonoSetsu, ultimate useless lesbians!

Power Play!

**Chapter One**

Are We Playing For The Same Team...?

It was an ice cold, early morning at the Mahora Academy Superplex as the high school hockey team stepped out onto the ice for their first tryout of the upcoming season. The Mahora Warriors girl's hockey team was the pride of the school; with the most recorded wins in school history and the most high profile titles won in all of Japan. Last year, the team had suffered a heart breaking loss in the final championship game of the season against a tough team from the Kansai Region. This year, the senior girls were out for blood and looking for revenge. From the far side of the ice, Coach Takahata was watching as the girls ran through a passing a drill. He was being sure to pay extra attention to the players trying out for the defensive positions as there was only one that needed to be filled. After weeding out the ones who couldn't keep up with the fast paced style of skating as well as the ones who could barely handle a puck properly, Takahata was coming to a slow realization that there really wasn't much for him to choose from this year. Sighing, he blew his whistle and signalled for the girls to take a few fast laps before heading over to him to explain the next drill. After receiving their instructions, the girls split up to form a one on one drill. It wasn't long before Coach Takahata was joined by his assistant coach, Negi Springfield.

"So what do you think Takamichi..." sighed Negi as she watched some of the senior girls flow through the drill flawlessly. "See anyone you like? Anyone at all catch your eye for that one defensive spot?"

Takahata removed his right glove and scratched at his scruffy chin. "Honestly Negi, I'm really not seeing any of the new girls that meet the requirements I'm looking for..."

Negi laughed a little as he scrapped one of his skates along the ice, building up a small pile of snow along the inside of his blade. "Aww come on now Takamichi... you mean to tell me out of the ten new girls trying out, not one fits that one spots requirements?" He looked back up and watched a frown spread across the older teacher and coach's face. "I think you're just being too picky..."

It was now Takamichi's turn to laugh. "I'm not being picky Negi, you're just too young and inexperienced to understand team chemistry..." He reached over and pulled the young kid's helmet down over his eyes. "Hell, you're only 14...genius teacher or not, you still got a lot to learn about the game. At least you seemed to master skating over the last few years..."

Negi rolled his eyes as the girls moved into a two on one drill. "Well, could you at least explain to me what almighty powers this new girl needs to have in order to meet the team's needs?"

"Well, she needs all the basics...that's for sure. A nice hard shot, a good mind for the game, great positioning...all that." began Takamichi. "However, I'm looking for that one girl who can bring some balance to Asuna Kagurazaka's forward line. I mean, Asuna is an amazing player...but damn it is she stubborn and tries to show off too much. Look what happened in that final game last year..."

It was true that the team's strongest center forward and captain, Asuna Kagurazaka, was mostly at fault for the team's loss in the championship game. There was less than a minute left in the third and final period of the game and Mahora was up by a goal. All they needed to do was keep the puck in their possession and run the clock down. The two Mahora defensemen where passing the puck back in forth behind their own net, avoiding the Kansai region's team's forwards. Asuna skated back behind the net and grabbed the puck, much to her team mate's surprise and began to speed off down to the other end of the ice. Everyone followed after her and the other team started to close in. Asuna managed to get herself around the first opposing defenseman, and feeling slightly cocky with herself, attempted to trick her way around the second. Before she even realised what was happening, the girl in front of her stole the puck from her while she was in mid-trick and passed it off to one of her own forwards waiting at Mahora's blue line. From there, the girl took the puck and went in for a last minute goal, tying them up and leading to sudden death overtime, where Mahora eventually lost.

"I need someone who will pick up where Asuna lacks strength..." sighed Takamichi. "It also wouldn't hurt to have someone good and strong to protect our goalie down there...teams have been getting rough on the goalies over the last few years..."

"Yeah that's true..." nodded Negi. "I'm surprised Konoka hasn't ended up with more injuries...especially since she's the top ranked goaltender in the league. You'd think she'd be head hunted constantly..."

"It's just another thing we need to look out for this year Negi..." replied Takamichi as he reached for his whistle. "You mind explaining the next drill?" Negi nodded with excitement as Coach Takahata blew the whistle and signalled for the girls to once again do a lap then come in for another drill. He watched on from the side, still thinking about the situation his team was in and their desperate need for another leader. There had to be someone out there who would get the job done, maybe it was one of these new younger girls... he shook his head at that last thought. Unless someone stepped up soon, he feared a repeat of last season. Takamichi skated off towards a lone puck to play with while Negi finished up explaining his drill to the girls.

/*\\*/*\\*/*\\*/*\\*/*\\*/*\\*/*\\*/*\\*/*\\*/*\\*/*\\*/*\\*/*\\*/*\\*/*\\*/*\\*/*\\*/*\\*/*\\*/*\\*/*\\*/

"Hurry it up Asuna or we're gonna be late for our first day of classes!" yelled Konoka over her shoulder. "Seriously, pick it up!"

"I'm coming, I'm coming...geeze Konoka...I thought you goalies were supposed to be a weird and easy going bunch!" replied Asuna as she picked up her pace.

Konoka smiled at her best friend and roommate as the later caught up to her. "You know, normally I wouldn't care...but today just seems a liiiiiiiiiiiitle more important than usual...I got this feeling..."

Asuna rolled her eyes as they rounded a corner. "Oh gods, here we go with the feelings...you weren't up late last night playing with those weird fortune card thingies again were you?" She watched as her friend shook her head but didn't believe her for a second.

After they had finished tryouts that morning, Asuna, Konoka and the other veteran players on the team decided to take their time changing and showering. They were all waiting for the new girls to finish and head out so that they could discuss what they thought about them. The girls that were left behind were a very close, tight nit group who have been in the same class together since their first year of junior high. They had wicked chemistry and seemed to feed off of each other's good and bad points; the perfect team. It was because of this amazing chemistry that any new girl trying out for the team seemed to perform below par because they were scared off. It didn't seem to faze the team though; you had to be worthy to hit the ice with them. When all was said and done, the girls had come to the conclusion that they hadn't seen anyone who fit the spot they were looking to fill. Apparently, they too were suffering the same doomed fate Coach Takahata was.

Konoka just hit the bottom of the school's front steps when she tripped and the books she was carrying in her arms went flying out in front of her. She cursed out loud as Asuna quickly bent down to help. "No, don't worry about it Asuna...you go on ahead. I'm pretty sure Negi will be pissed if you're late on the first day. I'll catch up in a minute."

"Alright...but hurry it up." called Asuna from over her shoulder.

Konoka kneeled down beside one of her books with a sigh, and began to pick them up. She was tired from the early ice time and was beginning to regret staying up late to read her tarot cards. The goaltender was very superstitious; therefore making fortune telling, in all of its forms, her hobby. She wasn't even planning on being up as late as she did until she flipped over a card telling her that someone or something new would be coming into her life. This seemed to peak her interest, and she began to shuffle and select a few more. By the end of her drawings, she had pieced together that her life was about to become more complicated, yet exciting when this new "whatever it was" came to be. Even when she lay down in her bunk at 3:00am, she couldn't seem to get the images out of her head of what she thought it could be. Konoka was still kneeling on the ground when she realized that she was missing her English book. She was about to get up to search for it, when she felt a tap on her shoulder.

"Hey...I think I got what you're looking for..."

Konoka stood up and turned around, brushing off her knees as she did. She looked up and was startled by the girl holding out her text book in front of her. Konoka had never seen her before, though they looked to be relatively the same age. The girl was slightly shorter than she was, but not by much and was slim but looked to have a very athletically toned build. What caught Konoka's immediate attention was the girl's raven black hair that was up in a side pony. She had never seen anyone else wear their hair this way...and thought it made the girl look rather attractive.

Slightly blushing, Konoka reached out her hand and gently took the book from the new girl. "Uh...thanks. I would have been shot if I lost it..."

The new girl gave a cool smile as she scratched the back of her head. "It's no problem...anyway I gotta get going...see you around..."

Konoka watched as the mysterious girl swiftly made her way up the steps and off into the school. She couldn't help but keep thinking about the girl as she made her way to her own classroom. It was well known, at least within her classroom and especially among her team mates that Konoka Konoe was into girls; hell, at least half of her team was. She was quite popular when it came to the ladies; what with her flawless looks, curvy body and being the top ranked goaltender in the entire Japanese high school hockey association. Konoka would have no problem getting someone to hook up with, she had done it before. When she thought about this new girl however; she somehow felt different. There was something pulling her towards this person...

_Could she possibly be this "new thing" my cards were talking about?...There's no way right? I probably won't even see her again...Damn she's hot though, I wonder if she's gay..._

Konoka was still thinking about her run in when she finally came to a rest in her seat next to Asuna. Her red haired friend looked at her with questioning eyes as she motioned towards the clock on the wall. Konoka looked up and noticed that she had cut it extremely close, leaving less than a minute before class began. She wasn't too concerned though, since their young teacher wasn't even here yet. The rest of the class around her was completely buzzing with excitement as everyone was talking with one another about their break. No one even noticed ten minutes later when Negi entered the room and called for their attention. The young teacher shook his head and laughed, thinking that he was in for another year of unique antics that only class 3-A was capable of.

"Hello girls, could we all calm down for a moment please..." he tried again, this time the room seemed to lower its voices.

"Oi Coach Springfield, did you manage to get taller over break?" yelled Yuna, a forward and line mate to Asuna.

"Hey, I think I even see a few bits of facial hair coming in..." chimed in another forward from the team, Kazumi.

"If I'm not mistaken...I think our little boy coach is becoming a little man!" laughed a defenseman named Makie.

Negi face palmed and hid a blush as the rest of the class giggled along. He was right; it was going to be another long year. "Aw come on girls...can't I just have one year where we forget that I'm younger than you and remember that I'm your teacher?" He watched as the class playfully shook their heads no. "...of course...Anyway, I would like to apologize for being late. I had a few last minute things to attend to, one of which I'd like to share with you now."

"Ooo what is Negi?" asked the class rep Ayaka Yukihiro. "You always have the best surprises for us."

Negi slowly began to walk back over to the door. "Well, it seems that we have a new student joining our class today... I'd like you all to give her a good welcome...and please, please don't pull anything to scare her off..."

When Negi opened the door, Konoka's eyes went wide and she shifted forward in her seat. Standing at the front of the classroom with a dark yet cool expression on her face, was the mysterious girl who had helped her earlier. She was being sure to listen intently as the girl began to speak.

"Hey...my name is Setsuna Sakurazaki. I just transferred to Mahora from my old school in the Kansai Region..." she took a small bow to the class. "I'm looking forward to joining your class..."

Konoka continued to stare as the rest of the class greeted their new classmate. Suddenly she felt a nudge from beside her. "What do you want Asuna?..."

"Buddy, what are you staring at...blink already it's freaking me out..." she replied in a whisper.

Konoka looked over to her friend quickly with a questioning expression on her face. "Hey Asuna...do you think she's gay? She's totally gay right?"

Asuna rolled her eyes; of course she should have known this was what Konoka was thinking so hard about. "Damn it Konoka... not every girl that catches your eye plays for the same team we do..."

Konoka just blinked at Asuna before returning her attention to Setsuna, who was now grabbing her bag off of the floor. "I have a feeling she's gay..."

Little did Konoka know that everything she seemed to be quietly whispering to Asuna was reaching the sharp and sensitive ears of the girl at the front of the room. Setsuna smirked to herself as she threw her bag over her shoulder and began to make her way to the seat Negi had pointed out to her. This wasn't the first time her sexuality was called into question, and she knew that it wouldn't be the last. She had to admit, the girl she helped with the book earlier was very attractive. She definitely wouldn't mind getting to know her a little better. Setsuna slowly made her to her seat and sat down, and feeling pretty confident with herself, she turned her head to take a look at Konoka. When she caught the girl's eye, Setsuna gave her a wink followed by a small salute before turning her attention back to the front of the class.

Asuna watched the whole interaction take place. "...Did...did she hear what we were talking about?"

Konoka was blushing at this point as she started to fidget with a pencil in her hand. "I...I think she did..."

"Well, I guess we have our answer." sighed Asuna. "Chalk up another point for your feelings..."

/*\\*/*\\*/*\\*/*\\*/*\\*/*\\*/*\\*/*\\*/*\\*/*\\*/*\\*/*\\*/*\\*/*\\*/*\\*/*\\*/*\\*/*\\*/*\\*/*\\*/*\\*/

Negi leaned back in his seat and stretched out after finishing going over his lesson plan for the next day. The young teacher had decided to skip out on dinner in order to make sure everything was organized and prepared, just the way he liked it. He looked outside and noticed that the sun was beginning to set and that he should probably make his way back to his room in the teacher's quarters. Slowly, he got up and began to gather all of his things while humming to himself. Just as he was getting to his favourite part of the song, he was interrupted by a loud banging noise coming from the ally way outside below his window. He shrugged it off, thinking that the wind knocked a lid off of a garbage can and continued to gather his things. Again, at least four or five more times, the banging noise continued. Negi was getting annoyed at this point and decided that maybe he should check it out. He made his way over to the window, threw it open and stuck his head out. To his surprise, he saw one of his students.

"Excuse me... Setsuna was it?" he yelled from a floor up from where Setsuna stood. She looked up, slightly startled, and nodded. "Could I possibly ask what it is that you're doing out here?"

Setsuna smiled and scratched the back of her head. "Sorry uh...sir...I didn't think anyone was around at this time of night so I figured I'd come and practice my slap shot..."

Negi blinked in surprise for a moment before responding. "Slap shot?...could you wait there for just a moment?"

Setsuna nodded again and went to retrieve her puck from a few feet away. Negi grabbed his things as fast as he could before he ran out the door, slamming it shut behind him. There was only one position on a hockey team that made the best use of a perfect slap shot, and that was defence. As soon as he heard Setsuna say that's what she was working on, Negi had a feeling like this was the girl they were looking for. Of course, he could be completely wrong; for all he knew Setsuna couldn't even skate or wasn't even that good of a player. Something inside his head had told him though that he should go and investigate. He was slightly out of breath as he burst through the front doors and rounded the corner to the ally way. Standing there waiting for him, was Setsuna with her stick still in hand.

Negi ran up beside her and clapped her on the shoulder. "Could you possibly show me your shot?"

Setsuna smirked and moved beside the puck. "No problem."

The raven haired girl proceeded to roll her wrists as she expertly handled the puck. Next thing Negi saw was Setsuna swiftly bring her stick back, just barely pausing, before swinging forward and making full contact with the rounded black rubber on the ground. In the blink of an eye, the puck flew from the ground and sailed through the air at waist level before making a loud crashing contact with a dumpster. Negi just stood there, looking stunned at the perfect shot he just witnessed.

Shaking his head, he turned his attention to the girl leaning on her stick casually next to him. "Setsuna...how long have you been playing hockey?" he asked, glancing back to the dumpster where the puck had made a dark black smudge.

"I've been playing since I was five years old." she replied while staring down at the ground. "I was captain and top scoring defenseman on my old high school team before I transferred out..."

Negi practically exploded from the excitement inside his head. Quickly calming himself down, he pressed on. "Have you considered trying out for our team? We're actually looking for a new defenseman..."

"I...I don't know Negi..." began Setsuna as she looked away. "I sort of...got kicked of my old team after an incident took place...I don't really know if I'm ready to get back on the ice." Her face became dark and Negi noticed that there was some pain behind her eyes.

"Listen Setsuna, I won't force you to join..." he said as he patted her on the shoulder. "All I'm asking is that maybe you come to tryouts tomorrow morning, get a feel for it...and see where it goes from there?"

Setsuna turned away from him and went to retrieve her puck again. She really had been dying to get back out on the ice, but ever since the incident that had went down last season with her own team...she was hesitant. She was still thinking it over when she found her puck and made her way back to the patiently waiting young teacher. Maybe I should give it a try... no one has to know what happened and I really do miss flying along the ice...

Setsuna sighed as she passed by her young teacher. "Alright, I'll give it a try...what time should I be there tomorrow morning?"

Negi Smiled. "Practice starts at 6 am, I'd like you to come on the ice around 6:15...I need to track down Coach Takahata and let him know what's going on!"

With a final wave to Setsuna, Negi ran off in excitement to the teacher's quarters. Setsuna laughed to herself as she watched her teacher go; he really was just a kid. She was beginning to look forward to strapping on her gear and hitting the ice again. The raven haired girl continued to think about it as she wound up for another shot, a few more hours of practice would suffice before heading back to her dorm to sleep.


	2. Welcome To The Team?

Power Play!

**Chapter Two**

Welcome To The Team?

The next morning came quicker than expected, and Negi found himself yawing as he stepped onto the ice with his older counterpart. The two were the first ones on, always early, and began a warm up skate while they waited for the girls to join them. After witnessing Setsuna practicing in the ally way yesterday, Negi ran as fast as he could to try and track down Takamichi to tell him the good news. At first, Coach Takahata was hesitant; maybe the girl could play, but she still might not have what it takes to balance out the team. Negi was sure to emphasize the point that the raven haired girl had been the captain of her old team for a number of years, leaving out the fact that she had been kicked off of it. After a few more attempts of persuasion, Takamichi gave in to Negi's request to intently watch the new girl the next day at tryouts.

"I hope this girl is as good as you say she is..." sighed Takamichi as he stretched out his legs.

Negi rolled his eyes as he stretched his back. "Have a little faith in my judgement Takamichi...I may be young, but I know what I'm talking about..."

Soon, the two coaches were joined by the rest of the girls as they slowly began to make their way onto the ice. They all started to do some easy laps in order to get warmed up and shake off the early morning sleepiness. It wasn't surprising to the girls, or even the coaches, that the new girls who were at tryouts yesterday didn't show up this morning. As usual, they were scared off from the vibe they were getting from the rest of the team. It was rare for the Mahora Warriors to gain any new players, especially since these girls became the team a few years back.

Asuna picked up a loose puck from along the boards and began to roll it around on her stick. She was glad that the so called "tryouts" were over and they could finally start an actual practice. It wouldn't be too much longer before they had their first game, and they needed to be prepared and come out strong in order to defend their perfect regular season title. She frowned and grumbled to herself as she remembered their one and only lose last year, and how pissed off she was at that stupid Kansai team for catching a lucky break. She vowed that this year would be different; if she ever gets the chance to meet up with that team again, they won't be so lucky. Asuna felt a nudge at her arm and looked up from her angry concentration on the puck to an excited and energetic looking goaltender.

"Looks like we managed to scare 'em off again, yeah Asuna?" asked Konoka as she playfully stole the puck away from her friend. "...Too bad...this team could have used some fresh meat..." She laughed as she watched Asuna roll her eyes. "I'm just kidding!"

"Doesn't matter...we don't need any of them anyway..." sighed Asuna as they made their way around the net. "I don't really care what Coach Takahata or the others think...we're fine just the way we are."

Konoka hit her stick off of her goalie pad and watched as the puck lazily slid across the ice and bank off of the boards. She sighed; Asuna could be really stubborn sometimes. "Yeah I guess...Hey, come take some shots on me to warm me up before practice starts. I want to make sure my new gear is broken in enough."

The team took about ten minutes to warm up and take some shots on Konoka before a whistle blew, signalling for them to make their way over to Takahata and Negi. They all quickly skated over and took a knee as Takahata put up a drill board and got his markers out to draw an explanation. Negi on the other hand, slowly skated over to the door on the opposite side of the ice.

"Alright girls...as you have probably all noticed by now, we're down to our original team once again..." began Takahata while he twirled a marker around in his fingers. Asuna gave her line mate Yuna a fist bump and most of the other girls seemed to smile. Takahata continued on, not seeming to notice. "However, we still need to fill our last spot...I can't believe that I'm saying this...but Negi seems to think he's found someone who will get the job done..."

The girls all began to murmur amongst each other and a few of them began to look around. No one had noticed if a new girl was currently on the ice or even kneeling with them here. If there actually was a new girl, she definitely wasn't in their group right now. Asuna quickly turned her head to glance behind her, remembering that Negi had made his way over to the far door when they all came in for the drill. She cursed under her breath as she saw Negi's head come poking up over the boards as he made his way back up the sloped hallway from the dressing rooms; a new player following closely behind him. Negi opened the door, and the two stepped out onto the ice.

Konoka's eyes light up and for some reason, her heart jumped to her throat.

Setsuna could feel everyone's eyes on her as she slowly made her way over to rest of the group. To anyone else, this feeling of scrutiny would have them turning tail and making their way back home before they embarrassed themselves. For Setsuna Sakurazaki however; this is what she livid for. She thrived off of tense situations and was always able to keep cool and have a clear head when under pressure; like a true warrior before an epic battle. It was for this reason that she had been chosen as team captain back at her old school in her very first year. Unfortunately, it had also been the reason for her dismal from the team when she finally snapped. She shook her head as she cleared the painful memory out of her mind.

_Time to focus...by the looks of it, they aren't exactly excited to see me..._

Setsuna effortlessly came to a stop and lightly bowed her head to Takamichi, who smiled at her in return. "Girls, I'm sure most of you know Setsuna Sakurazaki...the new transfer student in your class. From what Negi tells me, she's quiet the defenseman..." Setsuna coolly smirked inside to herself as she tried her best to keep a straight face.

Konoka listened as Asuna leaned in to whisper to Yuna. "She's good huh?...we'll just see about that...time to show her how Warriors do it..." Yuna nodded with a smirk as they continued to stare down Setsuna.

"Alright, since you still technically have to try out for the defensive spot Setsuna...let's see what you can do in a one on one situation." said Takamichi. "I want Konoka in nets and...Let's see...Asuna, you be the one to take her on. I want you to start with the puck in the bottom left corner there, then take a few steps before passing it up to Setsuna at center ice. Setsuna, I want you to quickly tap it back to her before pivoting and skating backwards into the one on one position, alright?"

"Yes sir..." replied Setsuna in a husky voice.

Asuna smirked as she got up. "Got it Taka..." She made her way past Setsuna, whispering to her as she brushed by. "Try and keep, alright?"

Setsuna watched the girl with long red hair poking out from under her helmet, skate off to the corner. This is exactly what she was expecting from who she assumed to be the captain of the team. She shook her head slightly before turning to make her way to center ice, suddenly feeling a tap on her shin from a stick.

"Hey...don't mind Asuna..." came from a smiling Konoka. "...Just protect me, alright?"

Setsuna blinked in surprise; she wasn't expecting to see that same girl she had helped with the book the day before. She sent her a nod and a wink. "It's what I'm here for miss..."

Konoka felt her face slightly heat up before turning and skating off to her net. For some reason, hearing Setsuna agree to protect her sent shivers down her spine. She could honestly say that no girl she had ever hooked up with before made her feel as...excited...as this new girl did. It was something about those dark, sharp eyes looking at her that really seemed to grab her attention. Konoka definitely wanted to get to know Setsuna a little better; that was for sure. She was hoping more than anything that her fortune was all about this girl. Once she got to her crease, she hit both her posts and slowly pushed out to a stop a few inches above it.

Once Setsuna got to centre ice, she quickly rolled her shoulders and crouched down slightly in ready position. She managed to take a quick glance back to that goalie behind her, wondering what it was that made her keep thinking about her. Since helping her, Setsuna felt an over whelming urge to be around her, look out for her even. Maybe it was just all in her head; she was a defenseman after all and ironically, the girl she was thinking of was a goaltender. She continued to laugh to herself on just how ironic it was, when she heard Takahata blow the whistle to signal a start.

_Alright, here we go..._

Asuna picked up a puck with a grin before taking a few strides forward, releasing a hard, crisp pass up to Setsuna; she then took off after it. Setsuna was ready, and had already pushed forwards to meet the pass before making quick contact with it on her stick before sending it directly back with a vengeance to Asuna. With a quick shift in her weight, Setsuna pivoted easily and was now skating backwards at a perfectly timed pace with the fiery red head coming towards her. Now, the game of cat and mouse could truly begin.

Asuna was coming down the ice fast, expertly carrying the puck slightly in front of her as she drew closer to Setsuna. She was waiting, hesitating just enough to see if the defenseman would make the first move; that's when she would strike. Setsuna was making sure that the gap between them wasn't too big and was focusing all her attention on Asuna's shoulders. If the red head was to try anything, she would be able to tell by the way her upper body moved. Out of the corner of her eye, Setsuna noticed that the blue line was coming up fast behind her. Asuna noticed this too and decided that it was now or never. Tightening her grip on her stick, Asuna began to handle the puck back and forth as she was about to make a hard push across the ice to her left in order to position herself in line with the net. She began to curve inwards fast on her backhand when she felt her side make contact. Setsuna easily took Asuna out of scoring position by placing her own body hard into the red head's and guiding her away from the net. There was a gasp from the team still kneeled by the boards as they watched their top scoring centre forward get brushed off like she was nothing.

Konoka stood up out of her stance, stunned. She blinked as Setsuna turned and curled around her before speaking. "See, kept you safe...no problem right?" She gave a quick salute to the goalie before skating back towards the group.

_Did that...did that just turn me on a little?..._

Konoka was still thinking about what just transpired between her and Setsuna when she heard a yell come from her best friend. "Oi, hold up a second Sakurazaki...let's do that again..."

Setsuna looked over to Takamichi, awaiting his approval on the new challenge. Surprisingly, he smiled and pointed her back to centre ice indicating that it was in fact, perfectly fine for another round. Again, Setsuna made her way to centre and crouched at the ready. For the second time in nearly as many minutes, Setsuna took out Asuna from any chance at scoring, despite the red head trying out deak and faking to the opposite side. Setsuna had read the play with no problem, and her well trained patience won out over the irritated centre forward. Normally, this would have concluded the drill and the practice would have continued on with something different; however Asuna's ego had been damaged and she was not having it. Over the next several minutes, the two girls kept the drill going. Much to Asuna's irritation, the defenseman seemed to win out every, single, time. Eventually, Takamichi had to put his skate clad foot down and blow the whistle on the never ending cycle playing out before him. With forced restraint Asuna grumbled and made her way back to her spot beside Yuna, trying her best to avoid eye contact with her team mates.

"...Soooo, that's how Warrior's do it...eh Asuna?" giggled Yuna from behind her glove.

"Shut it Akashi!" breathed the red head through gritted teeth.

Negi smiled as he watched Setsuna come gliding to a stop just outside the group. He made eye contact and was sure to give her a gloved thumbs up to show his excited approval. Setsuna just nodded back, trying not to make it look like she was too full of herself in front of the tight nit team in front of her. From somewhere beside her, she caught a glimpse of the goalie girl striding past her and joining the still fuming red head.

"Well, very nicely done Setsuna...and you had a nice few attempts to Asuna. It really was a nice solid drill to watch." said Takamichi. "Since that took a little longer than expected, I'd like us to use the rest of this time to work on positioning. I'm going to break you girls into two teams and we'll have a scrimmage..."

There was a loud cheer from the team as they all became excited to finally play. They were separated into their lines and then split into teams for the mock game. Setsuna found that Coach Takahata had partnered her up with a girl named Makie, an energetic and somewhat immature pink haired girl. At first, Setsuna was unsure as to why such a girl was playing a sport like hockey, but she soon found out as she watched the smaller girl play as if she had been doing so for years. It was the first time in a long while that Setsuna felt like she was where she belonged. She didn't even seem to care that Asuna was giving her the cold shoulder and glaring at her whenever she skated by the bench; at least Makie seemed to be warming up to her, and what about Konoka?

Eventually, the buzzer sounded alerting the team that their practice time was up and that they needed to make their way off of the ice so it could be flooded. Setsuna was asked by Negi and Takahata to stay behind and pick up the pucks, which she had of course agreed to. The two coaches really wanted to speak with her about her tryout today and what her thoughts were for joining the team as the permanent, last spot defenseman.

Takamichi smiled as Setsuna glided over and dropped the last of the pucks into the bin in front of him. "So, you did very well out there today Setsuna...I was really impressed with the way you handled our Asuna on those one on ones. I also really liked your positioning and they way you handled yourself during the scrimmage."

"Thank you sir..." replied Setsuna with a slight bow of her head.

"Yeah, you did an amazing job today Setsuna!" added Negi. "Just like I knew you would...right Takamichi?"

Coach Takahata rolled his eyes and flopped a gloved hand down onto the young teacher's head. "Yes yes Negi, you were right..." He watched as Negi smirked back up at him. "Anyway Setsuna, I am more than happy to announce that if you'll accept, we'd be glad to have you as part of our team. The girls take some getting used to, but they aren't as bad as they seem."

"Even Asuna isn't like she was today..." mumbled Negi under his breath.

Setsuna thought to herself for a moment. She really did enjoying being back out here and did miss playing in real games, listening to the cheering crowds lining the stands. Maybe, this was the best thing for her; it might help her try and forget what happened in her past. She smiled back to the two coaches and stuck out her hand for a shake. "I'd really like to come play for your team...I'm in."

_Besides, what are the chances that we end up playing my old team anyway..._

Negi cheered with excitement as Takamichi grabbed a hold of Setsuna's extended hand and gave it a hardy shake. "That's great! I know that we're going to have a great year together..."

Crouching down behind the boards, trying to be as quiet as possible, was a small group of eaves droppers. They had quickly gotten off the ice and practically ran to the dressing room in order to tear off their gear and make it back out to listen to what their coach had to say to the new girl. It was just as they had expected.

"Well, looks like we got ourselves a new player..." sighed Mana, another defenseman for the team.

"Obviously...especially after the way she owned Kagurazaka out there today." laughed Yuna.

"Come on guys...it's not such a bad thing to have another defenseman." whispered Konoka. "...She seems pretty good..."

Kazumi giggled. "Yeah, you just wanna know if she's any good in bed...don't you Konoe?" she flinched as Konoka gave her a playful, yet hard, punch to the arm.

"Calm down guys geeze..." whispered Asuna as a thought seemed to come to her. "Konoka's right...this might not be such a bad thing. I mean, we never get a new girl on our team...maybe we could have some fun?"

The four other girls around her looked at her with questioning eyes. Finally Konoka spoke up with a slightly worried tone. "Oh gods Asuna, you don't mean..."

Asuna smirked at her friends and team mates as she moved in closer to them. "You heard her...she wants to be part of the team right? Looks like we're going to have to give her a proper...welcoming..."

Asuna quietly made her way back to the dressing room with the other girls following her closely. When they opened the door to their room, the red haired captain began to explain to the whole team her plans for initiating the new girl.

 

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Setsuna dropped her school bag down on the ground beside her bed before turning around and landing in a tired heap on top of her pillow. It had been an extremely long day once that morning's practice was over, what with classes and dodging awkward looks most of the girls were giving her. She felt rather uneasy when she walked into the dressing room as most of the other girls were either leaving or getting out of the showers; all of them sending her some sort of smirk. Setsuna did her best to play it off and act cool, but she had to admit to herself that it was getting harder and harder to act this way. Usually, the raven haired defenseman was quiet bashful around others, despite having the ability to keep calm and focused under tense situations. When she came to this school however, she decided that she would try to break away from that side of her, at least until she got comfortable or made some sort of friends. She didn't realise how hard it was to act cool and constantly throw off an air of confidence. Hopefully with being on the team now, she wouldn't have to keep it up much longer. Then again, she wasn't too sure if she would ever really be accepted with the other girls.

She turned over onto her stomach and stretched out before she snuggled down into her pillow. Maybe a nice short nap before heading out for a run would do her some good. With a final yawn, Setsuna closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep; images of her taking on Asuna from practice, and protecting that goalie Konoka slowly fogging into her vision.

BANG BANG BANG!

Setsuna shot straight up in her bed as she was startled awake by the loud smashing coming from her door. She quickly glanced over to her clock and noticed that her quick nap actually turned into a good four hour sleep. The defenseman face palmed as she noticed that it was now dark outside and probably too late for her to go on a run now; she would just have to wait until morning. Still hearing the constant bang on her door, Setsuna slowly got up and yawned as she made her way over to it. She sleepily began to rub her eyes as her other hand turned the knob and gently pulled the door open.

"Who is i-..." Setsuna was cut off as a hockey sock was pulled down over her face and her arms and legs were grabbed by a few sets of hands. Panic was beginning to set in as she realised that she had just been ambushed and was no doubt being kidnapped. Despite the sock being tight around her face, Setsuna managed to get out some sort of words. "Wha..what the hell is going on!"

The raven haired girl was answered with giggles and loud fits of laughter. Clearly whoever these people were that had her, were having a good old time listening to her freak out. Setsuna took a deep breath and calmed down as she decided that panicking was only going to make this worse, and that she should now slip back into cool and collective mode. She lay hanging in the at the mercy of the hands wrapped around every part of her in silence; hoping more than anything that this was just some sort of prank and that she wasn't going to end up on the back of a milk carton in the next few days...

After what seemed like an eternity, Setsuna felt her captors come to a slow stop before gently letting her fall a few inches to the ground. From what Setsuna could feel under her, she was outside and most likely in a wooded area. The defenseman usually did a lot of cardio training in the woods, as it proved to be more of a challenge on her body; she wasn't a stranger to the outdoors. Before she had a chance to reach up and pull the sock off of her face, Setsuna was once again being grabbed from both sides by two pairs of hands. To her horror, she felt her hoody and shirt being pulled over her sock covered head as her jeans were being yanked off of her legs. Then, she felt something cold, maybe it was a tube of lipstick or something, writing on her back and stomach. The hands then left her just as quickly as they had come to her, leaving her kneeling on one knee on the soft cold ground. Slowly, Setsuna took a deep breath and put a dark poker face on before reaching up and pulling the sock from her head.

Setsuna looked straight ahead of her, cursing inside her head as she took in the sight; she should have known. "I take it this is some sort of initiation then?"

Captain Asuna was standing at the front of the team who were all, for the most part, staring at the almost naked defenseman in front of them. The red head smirked as she slightly stepped forward. "Awww, now you ruined the surprise Sakurazaki... that was supposed to be our big reveal to you!" She paused for a moment as she took in some laughter from the team behind her. Asuna was hoping to get some sort of rise or payback on the raven haired girl for making her look stupid on the ice earlier. She took a few more steps closer, and then continued. "You can probably tell that we don't get many new girls on the team...don't really know why..."

"It's probably cause we're a bunch of assholes!" yelled Ku, another defenseman from somewhere behind Asuna. The team laughed and even Asuna smiled at that one.

Setsuna slowly stood up and looked down at her stomach to see what was written on it. The words "Puck Bunny" seemed to be mocking her in their bright red form. She could only imagine what was on her back. She then calmly glanced back up to the red head. "Alright, I get it...I need to earn my way on here." She took a deep breath and concentrated on staying cool instead of freaking out in a panic like her head was telling her to do. "...What exactly do I have to do?"

Asuna walked right up to Setsuna and put an arm around the slightly shorter girl's shoulders. "It's easy Sakurazaki...all you gotta do is make it back to the common room in our dorm...easy right?"

Setsuna was about to nod, but she caught a glance of an uneasy look coming from a set of large brown eyes staring at her from the group. Konoka was watching her, and something was telling the defenseman that she should be a little more worried about her task. Setsuna gently took Asuna's arm and lifted it off of her shoulder before asking her question. "What's the catch?"

Now Asuna smiled as she was joined by Yuna, Mana, a girl named Kaede, Kazumi and Ku. "Well...you have to make it back to the dorms without getting hit by these girls with balloons filled with pink paint...there's a target drawn on your back."

Setsuna looked on as the group of girls gave her menacing looks. She stood her ground as she pressed on. "Alright...what happens if they get lucky and hit me?"

Asuna scoffed at the somewhat cocky sounding comment. "When they DO hit you, you'll be subjected to a month's worth to the humiliation of our choice..."

Konoka looked over to Makie beside her and both shared a look of concern upon hearing their captain's last words. Setsuna on the other hand, focused hard on keeping calm and began to roll her shoulder blades with impatience; she did miss her run today, at least she could get it in. "Fair enough...when do we start?"

"You have a five minute head start..." smiled Asuna as she clapped the defenseman on the back. "As soon as you take off, it begins..."

Without another word, Setsuna nodded towards the team before taking off from the clearing and back into the woods. She needed to get as much distance as possible between her and that small group before they came after her. Setsuna realised that she was at a slight disadvantage, mostly due to the fact that she had only just arrived at the school two days ago and didn't really know the layout of the massive city like campus. She did however; know how to navigate herself, thanks to all of her outdoors training sessions. She didn't know why, but she felt a need to prove herself to these girls; she wanted to be part of a team again. She also wanted to be there to protect Konoka, the one who she kept thinking about and the only one that seemed to show some sort of concern for her. Setsuna soon noticed that the trees were thinning out and that she must be coming to the edge of the forest. She was about to make her way out of the clearing and into the street, when she realised that she was in nothing but her sports bra and boy cut boxer shorts with "Puck Bunny" written on her. Suddenly, her bashful side seemed to get the better of her as she took a moment to hide behind a log and contemplate her next, hopefully not embarrassing move.

Meanwhile back at the clearing, the small group of girls gathered up as many paint balloons as they could stuff into their bags without having them explode. They were excited to get the initiation game going. Konoka and Makie on the other hand, were starting to feel like this whole thing was going a little too far. The goaltender picked up Setsuna's discarded clothes and began to make her way back to the dorm communal room with the pink haired defenseman where she could wait and see if the raven haired girl made it. Asuna watched as her best friend walked away from the rest of the team, sighing in irritation as she realized that Setsuna must really have some sort of effect on the goalie. The red head was sort of jealous; she always was when the chocolate haired goaltender got involved with someone. Ever since the two of them dated for a few months back in their last year of junior high, Asuna felt extremely protective of her best friend and roommate. It hadn't worked out for them, and both agreed that they were too good of friends to keep it up, but Asuna was still very attached to the goalie. It didn't help that now the one girl who managed to make her look like a fool on the ice happened to be the same one her friend seemed to have a thing for. Asuna became annoyed now as she thought about it.

"Oi, you guys..." she yelled to the small group of balloon assassins. "...It's been long enough...Go!"

With that, the group of five took off into the woods in the same direction that Setsuna had taken only three minutes before. The rest of the team cheered as they slowly began to make their way back to the dorm. Asuna stood in the clearing alone for a moment in silence, wondering if maybe she was letting her pride get in the way of something that may potentially be good for the rest of her team. She was the captain after all, maybe she should reconsider. With a small laugh to herself, the red head brushed off the thought and made her way back with the rest of the team.

_Let's just see what this kid is made of..._


	3. Wanted, In More Ways Than One

Power Play!

**Chapter Three**

Wanted, In More Ways Than One...

Konoka had pulled a couch over to the window in the common room and was now leaning over the back of it, staring outside to the front entrance. It had been fifteen minutes since she and Makie had returned from the woods, and there was still no sign of Setsuna anywhere. Something was wrong out there, she just knew it. As soon as Asuna had announced the plan for initiating the raven haired girl onto the team, Konoka was against it. She hated the idea of humiliating someone, and saw it as an abuse of power from her friend and captain. Besides, she was pretty sure the whole team could get into a lot of trouble if any of the teachers found out about it.

The goalie sighed as she thought about the girl currently running for her life out in the woods, probably lost considering she was brand new to the school. The more she thought about it, the more she began to fidget. There was nothing about this whole mess that she liked. Well, there was that one thing; Konoka didn't mind catching a glimpse of Setsuna's nearly naked body set perfectly out on display in front of her. Her own body began to heat up as she closed her eyes and images of the extremely fit and toned raven haired girl floated into her vision. The defenseman's body was perfect in every single way. Setsuna's slender frame more or less drove Konoka crazy, with those strong looking arms and tight muscle infused stomach. She let her forehead gently tap against the window as she continued to think about her.

It was also frustrating to Konoka that Setsuna had been unexpectedly thrown into this humiliating task, and she felt personally responsible for not stepping up to try and stop it. She began to panic a little when she thought that maybe the defenseman would be angry with her, thus tearing a rift in any potential possibility of getting to know her a little better. Konoka couldn't have that; she needed to follow through with her fortune and she needed to somehow be with this girl. She vowed to herself that from now on, she would do whatever it takes to make Setsuna feel like she was part of the team and make sure to keep Asuna in check. The goalie brought her head up off of the window with a determined expression to replace the one of worry. Suddenly the door to the room flung open, causing Konoka to jolt up and turn around; her heart fell when she noticed that it wasn't the defenseman walking through it.

Asuna made her way into the room followed by the remaining members of the team who were left in the clearing. They all dispersed around the room, either talking with one another or sitting down to watch some TV. The red head however, made her way to the couch where Konoka was sitting and flopped down beside her, bringing her legs up to rest on the goalies lap while she stretched out. Konoka just sat there in a slightly irritated silence.

Asuna closed her eyes and smirked as a feeling of smugness spread through her. "Geeze, Sakurazaki still isn't back yet huh? Maybe I should start thinking up some more embarrassing things for her month of humili-..."

Konoka couldn't take it anymore, so she interrupted the captain by throwing her legs off of her lap causing Asuna to tumble hard on the floor. Some team mates stopped what they were doing and looked over to the surprised looking Asuna slumped down on the ground. She put on a quick smile and waved everyone off, pretending that she had fallen on her own. Once everyone's attention was back on what they were doing, Asuna shot Konoka an angry look. Without another word, Konoka got up and made her way out of the room towards her own place; Asuna rolled her eyes in irritation and quickly followed her.

Once back in their dorm room, Asuna closed the door behind her and reached over for the light switch. "Konoka, what the hell was all that about?" asked Asuna as she turned to face her friend. She was greeted with a glare and arms threateningly crossed over the goalies chest. "Whoa..."

"I can't believe you Asuna!" replied Konoka angrily, trying her best not to raise her voice as she slowly moved closer to her friend. "What the hell were you thinking when you came up with this half-baked initiation idea? Do you understand what could happen to Setsuna, not to mention the team, if anything goes wrong out there tonight?"

Asuna backed up a little and tried to hide the fact that Konoka was scaring her with the look of death in her eyes. "Sakurazaki is a big kid...apparently she's so amazing, it shouldn't be a problem for her to win this one too, right?" Asuna finished with another eye roll and crossed her own arms.

Now Konoka was infuriated. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"Well shit Konoka, Sakurazaki is ONLY the new golden gift to the team right?" yelled Asuna out of frustration. "It's like she's gonna be Takahata's pet or something...it pisses me off that she doesn't seem to even try and things just work out for her...take a look at what's going on with you for example..."

The goalie blushed slightly; of course Asuna knew that she was into Setsuna and the fact that they had once dated probably was making her jealous. Suddenly, a realization snapped clear into her head. "OH HO HO...don't tell me all of this is because you're jealous of her Asuna...from the looks of it, she's an amazing defenseman and you're just going to have to get over yourself about practice...and with how I feel about her..."

Asuna stood there in silence and tried not to show any sort of defeat. Konoka knew her all too well and of course, was able to pinpoint exactly what she was thinking. She calmed herself before brushing off the exchange of words. "Whatever Konoka..."

The goalie sighed, still angry as she brushed by her supposed friend and roommate before opening the door to head back to the common room. She paused briefly and sent an icy stare towards the red head. "All I can say is that you better hope Setsuna shows up here without so much as a splash of paint on her..."

With that Konoka slammed the door, leaving the captain alone in their shared dorm room.

Asuna stood there quietly for a moment before slamming off the light and making her own way back to the room. Great...it's going to be a long friggin year...

 

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Setsuna was slowly and quietly making her way along the edge of the woods alongside Mahora's main street, being extra careful to keep herself hidden as much as possible. Every so often she would stop and duck behind a rock or tree in order to collect her bearings or check and see if she was being followed by her trackers. She couldn't believe how jumpy she was feeling right now; every little snap of a twig or noise from the city sent her senses into overdrive. It was almost as if survival mode was kicking in, and Setsuna was now running for her life. She was determined to make it. The defenseman was not going to fail this test; she needed to prove to everyone that she did in fact, belong with them on the team.

After about ten minutes, Setsuna completely slowed down as she saw that the woods were coming to an end beside her as a lake was blocking its path. She stopped behind a tree so that she could think about what her next move should be. The girl's dorms couldn't be too far from where she was now; she knew at least that much for sure. She sighed as she took her attention away from navigating the sky to the road next to her and noticed that there was some sort of sign placed next to a foot path leading from the road to the lake. Taking a quick glance around to make sure she wasn't being watched, the half naked defenseman ran over to it. Much to her relief, it turned out to be a map of the campus meant to be used for lost visitors. Her relief was short livid though, as she saw that from where she currently was on the map, the only real path to the dorms lead her straight through the city.

_Gods damn it! Of course I have to go through the busy campus to get back! Why the hell else would they tear off my clothes and write this crap on me...shit. How am I going to make it through without being seen now? Plus, I'm pretty sure we're all going to get in trouble if any of the teachers catch me...even though the team's putting me through this, I can't let them get in trouble...Gah! That sounds stupid...oh well, it's all for the team..._

Setsuna took a deep calming breath and tried to slip back into cool and confident mode. She needed to make her way through campus and she needed to do it fast. There was only so much longer she could avoid the others before her luck ran out. The defenseman was trying to think fast of her best possible route back to the dorms when she heard it. There was a rush of air as Setsuna felt something brush by her ear, missing her by centimetres. With a loud splat, a balloon burst open on the sign beside her sending pink paint flying in all directions. She turned around and saw to her horror that Yuna was standing at the edge of the woods; another balloon waiting at the ready.

"Game on Sakurazaki!" yelled Yuna as she brought her arm back into launching position.

Before the balloon had a chance to leave Yuna's finger tips, Setsuna took off into the city. The defenseman heard the forward curse as she picked up her bag and tried to follow her as fast as she could. She now watched as balloons began to fly over her head or off to her sides. Setsuna laughed to herself as she thought about the lousy aim Yuna had; it was a good thing she had a better shot on the ice. The defenseman quickly rounded a corner and turned down an alley behind a restaurant, diving behind a pile of trash bags to make sure she was hidden. She listened as the forward's feet came crashing around the same corner before taking off down the street and away from her current hiding spot. Setsuna let out a sigh of relief and let her head slowly fall back against the brick wall behind her as she began to breathe again. Somehow, she had managed to survive her first attack despite it throwing her completely off guard. If she was going to make it back to the dorm paint free, she would have to seriously focus and start paying attention.

Setsuna got up and stretched out her legs before slowly making her way to the other end of the alley way. She wasn't about to risk running into a back tracking Yuna by going the way she came. Her only chance at this point was to continue on through the main area of the city like campus. If she was lucky, the other girls wouldn't dare draw any authoritative attention by attacking her in a crowd. At the same time, she had to keep in mind that she was down to her underwear and any run in with passersby could also get her into trouble. If she could somehow get a hold of some clothes, she would be set. Setsuna made her way to the end of the alley, leaned close to the wall and slowly stuck her head around the corner. She cursed in her head as she took in the sight of the busy street in front of her.

_Shit! I forgot that it's Friday... all the University students are out at the campus bars tonight...how am I going to get around all these drunks?_

She began to look around the street, trying to figure out a way to make it across without being noticed. From what she could see, the only safe route away from this busy area and towards the dorms was through a side street that was across and slightly up from her current position. She also noticed that there were a lot of cars parked along the side of the street, as well as many groups of people standing around talking amongst themselves. If she timed it right and was super careful about it, Setsuna could use these obstacles to her advantage and make it over. It was time for her to slip into stealthy ninja mode as she took a deep breath and crouched down. With a final glance around, the defenseman made her way over to the first group of unsuspecting people.

_Alright, just keep your head down, keep calm, and keep moving..._

Without so much as an escaped breath to give herself away, the nearly naked Setsuna quickly made her way from group of drunks to group of drunks. She squeezed her way through legs, around a trash can, and then took a short pause between two parked cars. She took another look around and noticed that Kazumi was walking towards the alley she had just left, leaving her secondary escape route completely closed off. Setsuna waited for her team mate's head to turn away from the street before slowly making her way over to the next car. It was now time for the most dangerous part of her mission; crossing the open street. The defenseman took a deep breath and began to count to three as her head went on a swivel. On three, she raced across the street and dove under a large delivery truck.

As she lay there flat on her stomach under the truck, Setsuna looked on as Kazumi was joined by Yuna and Ku. The three looked as if they were angry, probably because they hadn't so much as left a splash of pink paint on their new team mate. At least the defenseman could take some comfort on the fact that three of her hunters were now behind her. Setsuna began to crawl to the sidewalk, keeping an eye out for the other two. After checking quickly, she pulled herself out from under the truck and made her way into the side street that would bring her to the dorms. She began to relax and smile to herself as the girl's dorm slowly began to poke its way into the horizon. The defenseman stretched out her arms and brought them back to rest behind her head. She was basically home free without so much as a blink of an image of the other two girls. Setsuna even looked down at her stomach and laughed as the once harsh words of "Puck Bunny" began to look less menacing. She was basically home free.

WHOOSH

At first Setsuna thought she was dreaming when she felt someone rush past her at top speed. However; her thought to be dream turned quickly into a nightmare as she realized that Mana and Kaede had ran past her and blocked her only way to the dorm. She was about to turn around when her sharp ears picked up three more sets of feet come to a halt behind her. The defenseman was surrounded and looked on as all of the girls playfully tossed balloons up or down or from hand to hand. She had let her guard down again and was now about to face the pink wrath that was the Mahora Warriors.

"So close Sakurazaki..." smirked Mana coolly. "I have to admit that I'm impressed though...I didn't think you'd hide from us for this long..."

"Yeah, I'd say you get at least fifty points for trying!" laughed Ku as she grabbed a second balloon from her bag.

_There's got to be a way out of this... I'm not just going to give up, especially when I'm this close... if it's a chase they want, then it's a chase they'll get..._

Setsuna looked up with a calm and defeated look. She sighed and raised both her hands in the air. "Alright guys...you win...let me have i-HOLY CRAP IS THAT COACH TAKAHATA AND NEGI?"

All the girl's attention quickly left Setsuna and was now forced on the spot behind Mana and Kaede. It took them a few seconds to realize that their coaches weren't there before returning their gaze back to the defenseman. Instead of finding the nearly naked raven haired girl cowering in the center of their circle, the girls became furious when they were staring across an empty space at one another. Mana cursed out loud as the group formed together just in time to catch a blurred image of Setsuna running off back towards the city. Within seconds, the group was off in hot pursuit of the clever defenseman.

Setsuna rounded a corner just as the first of the paint balloons splattered on the wall of the building beside her. She was determined to outrun these girls and make it back to the room unscathed. She ducked as she sensed another balloon come whizzing by her head and smash open on the ground in front of her. The defenseman smirked as she easily jumped over the puddle of pink and continued on down another deserted side street. Just then, Kaede came around the corner in front of her and caused her to skid to a stop.

_She must have went around the other side to cut me off... man she's quick... like a ninja or something...come on Setsuna think fast! Over there!_

Thinking fast, the defenseman ran to her right and quickly made a jump up on to a tall chain fence. For a brief second, she lost her footing as a balloon flew at her and again missed her by a hair before bouncing off of the fence and landing on the ground. Setsuna quickly scrambled to the top and launched herself over. Unfortunately for her, a loud ripping noise sounded as her boxers decided that they quiet liked the view from the top of the fence and thought that maybe they wanted to stay there. The defenseman landed on all fours with a thud as an embarrassed blush made its way across her usually calm face. Not only was she running for her life, but she was now completely naked from the waist down and in someone's backyard. She grew even more embarrassed as she heard cat calls and whistles coming from Yuna and Kazumi from the other side of the fence. She calmed herself as best as she could before standing up and taking off again, remembering that she was still being chased and the girls would be over that fence in no time.

As Setsuna made her way over the next few fences, she started to think about what she should do to cover herself before making her way back to the dorm. There was no way she could show her face there in her current state. Maybe if she was lucky, she would come across someone's forgotten laundry drying outside and she could borrow a pair of pants. Her idea was fading though as she jumped the last fence belonging to a house and found nothing out to dry. Setsuna made her way to the back side of the fence in an attempt to try and turn herself back in the direction of the dorms. She pulled herself over just as Mana's head poked over the fence she had just came from. As soon as she landed, the raven haired girl took off towards the safety of the building a little ways up from where she was. She made her way up the steps, hoping that this was another one of the girl's dorms and she could somehow bum a pair shorts from one of the girls inside. The defenseman suddenly froze when she saw dark red scruffy hair poking up through the window. Setsuna quickly dove over the railing and hid in a bush as Negi, followed by Takamichi made their way out of the teacher's living quarters.

_Seriously? What the hell are the chances of running into them? Gah! This school just wants me kicked out..._

"Alright Negi, where did you want to go for a bit to eat at this hour?" asked Takamichi as they made their way down the stairs. "I'm tired of sushi so it better be something good to drag me away from watching last year's game tapes."

Setsuna watched from the bushes as Negi scratched the back of his head. "Well I was thinking that we grab some pizza from down the street and maybe play some pool? All we ever do on week nights are school related things or watching tapes...why don't we have a little fun?"

Takamichi laughed and gave the young genius teacher beside him a noogie. "Ah! So there is a kid in there! I knew it!"

Setsuna covered her mouth to hide a laugh as she watched Negi try and grab Takamichi's hand to stop the ruffling of his hair. Just then, the two coaching buddies were interrupted by five girls jumping over a fence wearing heavy looking school bags. The defenseman almost swore out loud as the girls came to a grinding halt when the teachers caught their eyes. Seeing the girls, especially out at this hour, caused both Negi and Takamichi to look at them suspiciously. The two teachers made their way over to the girls, who now looked like they were going to die from heart attacks. Setsuna watched on from her hiding spot with clenched fists.

"It's awfully late for you girls to be out isn't it?" asked Takamichi while trying to get a look at the bags they were carrying. "Shouldn't you all be back at the dorm with the rest of the girls?"

Mana gulped but was quick to reply in a calm manner. "We were just out doing some cardio and resistance training coach. We wanted to get ahead of our workouts this year, so we thought stuffing our bags full of weights and going for a run would be a good idea...right Kaede?"

"Yeah...training." agreed Kaede with a nod. "Fences make great obstacles, it helps get the blood flowing!"

"Late night runs are best runs!" added Ku.

"Not like we were out causing trouble or anything!" said Yuna.

Setsuna face palmed and grumbled to herself when she heard Yuna over do it. They were going to be given away if they continued to give out answers like that, especially with Negi there. From what the defenseman gathered, Negi was a child genius who graduated from university when he was around ten with a teaching degree. He was more than smart enough to notice if something was up, and Yuna basically handed him their guilt on a silver platter. As if the skies opened up and the gods themselves decided to come to their rescue, Negi continued on with the conversation not noticing the comment.

"Well, just make sure you girls are careful alright?" said Negi. "We don't need anyone getting hurt or worse out here...and be sure to get back to your rooms soon. It's definitely past your bed times."

The girls all laughed and Kazumi reached out to ruffle her young teacher's hair. "Don't you mean it's past YOUR bedtime kid?" Even Takamichi laughed as Negi struggled to get away from Kazumi's hand.

Setsuna decided that she would use this distraction to her advantage and quickly made her way out of the bush and over the ledge to the stairs. She turned around and stuck her head back over the ledge and gave a playful salute to any of the girls who could see her before jumping over the other side of the stairs and making a run for the dorm. She laughed as she imagined the pissed off looks her team mates had while still trying to get away from their coaches. With her head held high, the defenseman made her way up the stairs of her dorm building and in through the doors. She was feeling great and couldn't believe that she had actually made it through the initiation without even getting hit once. The defenseman gave herself a mental pat on the back as she made her way up the stairs to the senior girl's 3-A floor. She entered into the hallway and began her walk of triumph to the common room. With a final smirk of accomplishment, Setsuna rounded the corner and entered the room. Suddenly she became completely aware that everyone was staring at her, and all at once she remembered that she was only wearing a sports bra and that she must have forgotten about her clothing malfunction when she ran into the coaches.

Konoka on the other hand was now staring at Setsuna with her eyes glued once again on that perfectly toned and naked body. She began to feel hot as the raven haired girl began to blush all over and her stomach tightened when she hunched over to cover herself. It was official; the goalie had to have her. The feeling of want running through her had never felt this strong before. She continued to watch and basically drool over the defenseman as Makie quickly ran over and offered Setsuna her hoody to wrap around her until she could grab some clothes. Konoka snapped out of it and even began to pout as the naked defenseman wrapped away her body.

Asuna stood up from where she was sitting, a look of surprise and disbelief stuck on her face. She cleared her throat before stepping forward to rest her hand on Setsuna's shoulder. "Well...that was unexpected...I can't believe you made it without getting hit." She paused as Setsuna looked at her with irritated eyes. She smirked at her and continued on. "I was hoping for a fun filled month, but I guess we can't always get what we want. Anyway Sakurazaki...let me be the first to welcome you to the Warriors..."

There was a loud cheer as the rest of the team came up to congratulate their newly accepted team mate. There were pats on the back and ruffling of hair from everyone gathered around her. Konoka stayed behind and looked on as her team swarmed the defenseman. She was contemplating the best way to go about getting with the new girl. The goalie could always try what she always did, but something was telling her that just using her assets wasn't going to work. If she wanted her fortune to come true, she would have to try her best to find out everything she could about Setsuna. She smiled as she watched the raven haired girl calmly back away from the group, saying that she would be back to celebrate after she put some clothes on. Konoka smirked to herself as she thought that if everything went her way, she would be seeing more of Setsuna the way she was now.

Asuna walked back to her best friend and tapped her on the shoulder. Konoka looked up after snapping out of her thoughts and saw a look of guilt on the red head's face. "Look Konoka...I'm sorry alright? You're my best friend and I really acted like an ass back in our room. Let's just put this behind us yeah? Sakurazaki made it back paint free... nothing like that will happen again ok?"

Konoka nodded and decided to give her friend a hug as a sign of accepting her apology. "Thanks Asuna, I appreciate it. I just hope that one day, you can come to terms with Setsuna and maybe the two of you could be friends... I think as captain, that would be the best thing you could do, not only for the team, but for yourself."

Asuna rolled her eyes behind Konoka's back, but returned the hug none the less.

_I can't see that happening anytime soon Konoka...I don't know what it is about Sakurazaki, but there's something I don't like...and no one makes me look like an asshole on the ice...no one..._

 

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After getting herself some new clothes, Setsuna had made her way back to the common room where she joined her team as well as the rest of her class. Everyone was enjoying themselves, talking amongst each other or gathering around the TV where Asuna and Yuna were playing NHL 2012 on the room's Playstation 3. The rest of Setsuna's hunters had come up to congratulate her on her victory over them and for managing to trick them. They also told her about trying to get away from Negi and Takamichi after she managed to escape, saying that Negi wouldn't shut up long enough for them to get a word of dismissal in. The defenseman laughed as she pictured a rambling Negi standing clueless in front of a group of irritated girls. Eventually, the defenseman was joined by an excited and cheerful looking Makie.

"Oi Setsuna! I'm so stoked that you made it through initiation!" she began. "I was totally against it, I thought it wasn't fair to put you through that...but our team does tend to get carried away..."

Setsuna smiled at the pink haired girl. "Naw, it's cool Makie...don't worry about it."

Makie offered Setsuna a high five, which she returned, before continuing on. "Anyway, looks like me and you are gonna be defensive partners this year! I'm pretty excited, it'll be the first time that we have set partners instead of rotating through the lines. I know that you and I will kick ass this year!"

"I bet we will Makie." laughed Setsuna as she watched pink hair basically bounce around in front of her.

Makie stopped bouncing for a moment and tried her best to become serious. "As your defensive partner, I feel that it's my duty to give you the low down on everyone on the team. Brace yourself...we're a pretty interesting bunch!"

Setsuna smiled and sat down on a couch that Makie had decided to flop down on before listening intently about all of the players on her team. Makie was sure to point out every single one individually before proceeding to tell her partner everything about them. While Makie was explaining their team's dynamics, Setsuna couldn't help but steal quick glances towards Konoka, who was sitting on the floor next to Asuna watching her play the game. The more she looked at her goalie, the more she realised how attractive the girl was. It felt like butterflies were starting to fill her stomach as she realised that she was now going to be spending a lot more time with her. The defenseman could feel her bashful side start to bring itself back whenever she thought about Konoka now. She didn't even know the girl, but she still felt like they were somehow connected.

Makie looked back at her partner after explain Asuna's whole background, when she noticed her staring at Konoka. The pink haired girl laughed and shook her head slowly, causing Setsuna to snap out of it and turn her attention back to her. "I see that Konoka has caught your eye...figures, she always seems to have that effect on girls..."

"Huh? What do you mean?" Setsuna leaned in a little closer so she could better hear Makie.

"Well, I'm pretty sure that you've noticed how hot she looks right?" Makie paused and watched as Setsuna looked away to try and hide a blush. She laughed and continued. "Of course you did...anyway you aren't the only one. Konoe's pretty popular when it comes to the ladies...that's why you'll notice that we'll call her princess from time to time...it's cause when it comes to stuff like that, Konoka always gets what she wants. I mean don't get me wrong, she's a totally awesome person...but she does seem to go through girls like I go through sticks...which is a lot..."

Setsuna gulped as she quickly realized that her vision of an innocent pretty girl was shattered and that a new, more provocative image of Konoka quickly took its place. She suddenly felt intimidated by the goalie that she would give anything to protect. Maybe, she should be careful around this girl; she wanted to get to know her, maybe even be with her, but not if it meant that she was going to be tossed aside once Konoka had gotten what she wanted from her. She was definitely going to be careful, especially now that they were team mates. Setsuna didn't want to mess up any sort of team chemistry when she just managed to win most of them over. She sighed as she looked back at Konoka, hoping more than anything that she wouldn't be seen as just some other girl to her.

"Anyway, welcome to the team Setsuna!" smiled Makie as she clapped her partner on the back. "I think you're gonna like being a Warrior, especially when you but on our bitchin' colours for the first time. Nothing looks sweeter than the old black, red and silver!"

She smiled one last time at her raven haired partner before getting up and joining the rest of their team and class in front of the TV. Setsuna sat there, alone and in silence as she took in everything her partner had just told her. From the sounds of it, this team was a lot like her old one, which made her slightly worry as she thought back on the previous year. No matter what happens over the next season, she vowed to herself to never go the same way she had before. She was going to keep calm and avoid anything that even resembled the situation that got her dismissed from the team. She sighed as she continued to glance at Konoka.

_Even if it means being hesitant around her..._


	4. Time To Get Sweaty

Power Play!

**Chapter Four**

Time To Get Sweaty...

The next week flew by rather quickly as Setsuna adjusted to life at Mahora and as a team member. Every morning the defenseman would haul herself out of bed, do a few quick stretches, and then head out for a long morning run just before sunrise. From there, she would end up at the Superplex for her team's daily practice. Thanks to her diligent training routine, Setsuna was rarely tired and had no problem making it through the rest of the day's classes. She was amazed though, that most of her team mates weren't out preparing for the upcoming season like she was. At her old school, it was required of each player to undergo a set amount of off-ice training in order to play in the games. From what Setsuna had seen so far, there was no such rule. She shrugged it off and decided that her schedule was already engrained into her system, so training would definitely continue; it wasn't like she hated it anyway, working out felt good.

It was now Friday, and Setsuna sat at her desk waiting for the final bell to ring to signal the end of the day. The defenseman was growing impatient while waiting for classes to finish, as there was an important meeting to attend with the team back at their dressing room. She sighed as her eyes kept flicking over to the clock on the wall and got the feeling like time had decided to stop functioning. According to the clock, she still had to sit through another ten minutes of math class. She slightly groaned as her fingers began to fidget with her pencil; math wasn't her strongest of subjects and she would rather be anywhere but here right now. Suddenly, she felt something light hit her in the back of the head. Setsuna slowly glanced at the professor at the front of the room, making sure he wasn't looking before bending sideways and picking up a piece of crumpled up paper. She brought it up to her lap and quietly opened it up.

**If you keep taping that pencil on the desk you're eventually going to bust a hole through it... –Konoka**

The defenseman laughed to herself as she read the goalie's words. She should have guessed that the note was from Konoka, since she was the only one on the team aside from Makie to get to know her over the last few days. The goalie had been putting a solid effort in to make Setsuna feel welcome to the team ever since the initiation. At first, the defenseman was careful thanks to listening to Makie explain Konoka's hook up history; but as the days went by she felt as if her defence partner was over exaggerating. The Konoka she was getting to know seemed to be a lot less intimidating than she had imagined. Still though, Setsuna had decided to watch herself, just in case the goalie had ulterior motives for her kindness. She still hoped more than anything that Konoka saw her differently, as she wanted more than anything to be with her. The defenseman glanced over her shoulder and saw the goalie smiling at her with a slightly annoyed looking Asuna sitting next to her. She turned back and rolled her eyes as she began to scribble down a response.

**If that bell doesn't go off soon, I'm going to lose it... what do you think the coaches want to talk to us about anyway? –Setsuna**

Taking another quick look at the professor to make sure that he wasn't looking, Setsuna quickly balled the paper back up and tossed it along the floor back to the goalie. She quickly sat back up again as some of her neighbours giggled. The defenseman tried her best to hide a blush as she realized how childish and obvious this looked to the rest of the girls; and if Konoka's track record was true, it would even seem like a waste of time to them. Within less than a minute, Setsuna felt paper once again hit her head, this time getting stuck in her side pony. Her blush seemed to deepen as she heard a small giggle coming from Konoka. She quickly grabbed the note and started to open it again on her lap.

**No idea...but hey, could I talk to you after the meeting? –Konoka**

Instead of tempting fate with another toss of the paper, Setsuna turned her head and gave a nod. She watched as the goalie's face light up before returning to her notebook. Now Setsuna was even more annoyed that time was going by so slow. Finally after what felt like an eternity, the bell sounded and the entire class shot up from their seats and drove out the door. The defenseman joined a small group of her team mates as they made their way out the door and over to the Superplex. Upon their arrival, Negi handed out a stack of papers to each girl as they entered the dressing room. They all sat down at their designated spots and started to talk amongst themselves as Takamichi entered the room, carrying a clipboard.

"Alright girls listen up..." He said as he gently shut the door behind him. "As you all know, the start of season home opener is quickly coming upon us. I know that you're excited to get things started again, but there are a few new things we need to go over..."

"Is the school finally deciding to pay us?" shouted Yuna. The girls laughed as both Negi and Takamichi rolled their eyes.

"No, but the board members have decided to come up with a few new rules for all of its' sports teams." He paused as the room groaned in unison. If the school was getting involved, it was never anything good. "First, I want you all to turn your papers to the second page where you'll see the final line placements..."

All the girls quickly flipped their papers over to take a look at the lines. After a few moments of looking them over, the whole team cheered together as they seemed more than happy with their placements. Setsuna was especially happy when she saw who she was paired up with. She quickly glanced over the rest of the list to see what the rest of her team was looking like.

**Mahora Warriors Team List**

Goalie:

#13 Konoe, Konoka

Defence Partners:

#18 Tatsumiya, Mana- #20 Nagase, Kaede

#12 Fei, Ku- #09 Kasuga, Misora

#15 Sakurazaki, Setsuna- #16 Sasaki, Makie

#05 Izumi, Ako- #01 Aisaka, Sayo

Forwards:

#02 Akashi, Yuna- #08 Kagurazaka, Asuna- #03 Asakura, Kazumi

#31 Rainyday, Zazie- #06 Okochi, Akira- #14 Saotome, Haruna

#07 Kakizaki, Misa- #17 Shiina, Sakurako- #11 Kugimiya, Modoka

#10 Karakuri, Chachamaru- #26 McDowell, Evangeline- #19 Lingshen, Chao

"Sweet! Our lines kick ass again this year!" cheered Haruna as she sent a thumbs up to her line mates.

"Was there ever any doubt we'd stay together?" smirked Sakurako while Misa and Modoka gave each other high fives.

"I knew we'd be partners Setsuna!" said Makie with a smile while patting the raven haired girl on the back.

The room was still buzzing as the girls began to compare their lines and talk with their partners. While Makie was excitedly talking Ako beside her, Setsuna continued to look at the line list. There was something that caught her attention; it was the last forward line. While in class over the last week, the defenseman noticed that the girls listed were amongst the quietest and reserved of the team. They rarely spoke with anyone in class and threw off an air of mystery whenever Setsuna passed them. She began to wonder if they were like that with the team when they got together. The defenseman shrugged it off as she felt Makie nudge her arm, indicating that Coach Takahata was waiting for the team's attention again.

Takamichi cleared his throat as he flipped over to the next page, a serious look now coming over his features. "Now we get to the fun part...the new rules." He waited as the room became completely silent. "As I have just informed you, the school has decided to step in and add some of their own influence to their sports programs...as of right now, any student wishing to participate on schools teams must hold at least a C+ average in all courses..."

"What? But this is an elevator school!" shouted Ku. "We pass through to university no matter what our grades are!"

Takamichi ran his hand through his short hair with a sigh. "I understand, but the school feels that your academics should reflect the same success as your activities. If you don't at least get that mark on your tests or exams, they will remove you from the team..."

Most of the team groaned as the final nail was hammered hard into the theoretical coffin. The one who was the most affected by this news was Asuna. She sat there in silence, eyes closed with the back of her head lightly taping off of the wall behind her. The captain never concerned herself with grades before and usually spent her time hanging out with her friends, partying, or practicing her shot. Her grades definitely reflected her lack of effort, as most of her marks where either a C- or lower. She groaned to herself as she thought about the predicament she was now in. As the captain, Asuna was supposed to represent the team and be a role model. If she was to get kicked off, not only would it look bad for herself, but it would also make the rest of the girls look bad. She didn't know what she was going to do in order to bring her grades up, but she knew that she was going to have to try something.

_Gods, it's like karma for putting Sakurazaki through initiation or something...what a stupid rule...whatever, I'll just see if I can get a tutor or something..._

She opened her eyes slowly and realized that some of the more academically successful girls were eyeing her from where they sat. Asuna shook it off, knowing that they were concerned for her as well as some of the others. It would be their last year playing together on this high school team and they would be heartbroken if their team was broken up because of this new rule. The captain felt her stomach turn as their thoughts quickly reached her. Thinking quickly, she sent them all a thumbs up of confidence in an attempt to show them that they shouldn't worry. They would get through this, and Asuna would figure something out.

"Anyway, now on to the rules Negi and I have come up with." continued Takamichi. "Since this is our last year together, I want us all to have the best season and post season we can. Therefore, we have decided that you girls will have a mandatory workout schedule that you will have to fill out and bring to Negi after every Friday morning practice. We will be fit and ready for whatever these teams through at us, and we will definitely be ready for nationals this year..."

Setsuna's ears perked up as she took in Takamichi's new rule. She became oddly excited when the thought of required training from this team ran through her. "Finally..." she whispered to herself.

"What was that Setsuna?" asked the coach, who had noticed a change in her mood.

Setsuna gulped and slightly blushed from embarrassment by being put on the spot; she quickly calmed herself and became cool when she answered. "Oh...it was nothing sir. I was just thinking that the workout schedule was a good idea. My old team had the same rule and it seemed to be successful..." She quickly stopped there before she went too far and let slip her dissmissal.

Takamichi smiled and ignored an obvious eye roll from Asuna. "Good! Well, I hope that if any of your team mates need help working out a set routine, they can come to you for advice!" He sent the raven haired girl a smile and thumbs up.

Setsuna smiled awkwardly and scratched her head as she slowly tried to fade back into the wall. She could almost feel her captain's eyes burning into her with Takamichi's last comment. This wasn't what the defenseman was looking for, especially when she was just being accepted to the team; she didn't want to be seen as a suck up or big shot. Her thoughts became calm however, when she noticed that Konoka was looking in her direction with her head tilted and a smile bouncing off of her. Setsuna sent her a nod of thanks, appreciating that the goalie didn't have the same mind set as her red headed roommate.

The rest of the meeting went by quickly as both Negi and Takamichi continued on with their ideas and goals for the year. Apparently, the girls were now expected to wear dress clothes to and from games instead of their school uniforms to show that they, in Negi's words, meant business and were to be taken seriously. The girls also rolled their eyes and coughed awkwardly when Takamchi mentioned that there was to be no alcohol consumption during the season. Yuna laughed awkwardly and Kazumi started whistling and looking at the ceiling when the coach said that there was nothing to worry about when it came to that anyway, as his girls were all underage and "knew better". Finally after the coaches had their say and all questions were answered, the girls were dismissed. Makie stood up and asked Setsuna if she wanted to head over to the meal hall with her, Ako, and Sayo to grab diner, but the defenseman politely refused remembering that Konoka had wanted to speak with her once the meeting was over. With a playful salute to her partner, Makie left Setsuna to join the others who were already heading out the door. When Setsuna pushed herself up from the bench, she quickly realized that it was only the goalie and herself left alone in this room. She breathed deep and relaxed as she told herself to stay strong. The defenseman was not going to give in to any advances, if any were to be given, until she knew Konoka's true intentions.

Konoka quickly made her way over to the raven haired girl with a smile. She had been thinking about Setsuna all day and was extremely happy that she had agreed to meet with her. The goalie had decided since the initiation that she would do whatever it took to get closer to Setsuna, as she was completely wrapped up with her now. The idea she was about to propose to the defenseman came to her after she had witnessed Setsuna leaving bright and early in the morning or later at night for her training. This was how she was going to spend quality alone time with her, and this was how she was going to show the defenseman that she was a serious person and more than just a pretty face who got around.

"That was quite the meeting wasn't it?" asked Konoka as she came to a stop a few feet in front of Setsuna. "I think Asuna almost died there when Takahata brought up the grades thing. Poor kid..."

Setsuna bowed her head slightly and reached for the back of her neck. "Yeah, well she's not the only one that has to worry...my math grades usually aren't something to be happy about."

Konoka rolled her eyes playfully as she took in the saddened features of the girl in front of her. Then another idea popped into her head. "Oh, I'm sure you'll be fine Setsuna. Besides, I rock at math so I could help you if you ever needed it..."

"That...that would be great Konoka." replied the defenseman with a slightly reserved tone. She wasn't sure if Konoka actually wanted to help, or was just doing this to get into her pants. With the innocent look she received from the goalie when her head popped back up, Setsuna had decided that the proposal was actually genuine.

"Awesome." smiled Konoka, not noticing the hesitation in the raven haired girl's voice. "Anyway, what I actually wanted to talk with you about now seems to have been brought up at the meeting as well. I always see you going for runs or heading over to the gym...so I was wondering if maybe...you and I could be workout buddies? I'm pretty good at the gym on my own, but I find it really boring without someone else. Plus Asuna always gets into her own mindset if I go with her and I feel all lonely..."

Setsuna blinked in surprise; this definitely wasn't what she had been expecting from Konoka when she asked to speak with her. After thinking about it for a few seconds, Setsuna's face light up with determination as she thought about having the goalie joining her workouts. "Yeah, I mean...it's fine with me if you want to join. I'll warn you now though that I get pretty into training and I'll probably be pushing you...I'm sorry in advance..."

Konoka laughed. "No it's fine...I'll probably need some pushing anyway. Hey, did you want to head to the gym now for a bit before dinner? May as well start as soon as possible yeah?"

"I've got some energy to spare. We'll head up now, just let me grab my gym clothes from my gear bag and check on my stick...I think I need to replace the tape on i-..." Setsuna's words were cut short when she looked over to the designated stick area and noticed that all the team's sticks were gone. Panicking, Setsuna ran over hoping her eyes were playing a mean trick on her; she was wrong, they weren't. "Wha-what the hell happened to Yunagi? I left him here this morning! Gah!"

"...what uh...what's a Yunagi?" asked Konoka, hiding a giggle from the now freaking out defenseman.

"He's my stick...my lucky stick..." began Setsuna as she continued to look around the dressing room. "He's a Bauer composite right hand stick with the perfect flex. I've had him since the first year of junior high and it's like he's a part of me! Where the hell did he go?"

Setsuna was fuming, yet she still tried to keep her composure. Konoka continued to giggle at the thought of Setsuna's relationship with the stick. She was thinking that it was oddly cute for a tough and cool looking girl like the defenseman to have such an attachment to an inanimate object. "I think that the team manager may have collected them up for maintenance. He likes to make sure we're prepared for everything...keeps telling himself it's a manly job to look after so many ladies..."

Setsuna stood there, blinking at the goalie as she tried to comprehend the fact that some man now currently had his grimy hands on her beloved partner. Slowly she snapped out of it. "Some...man...has my stick? Some man..."

Konoka rolled her eyes and came over to the confused yet irritated looking defenseman. "It's not some man Setsuna...I mean he's only about a year or so older than Negi. His name's Kotaro, he started out as our stick boy about two years ago when he was forced into doing volunteer work after being busted for starting some on campus fight club...weird eh? Anyway, he was only supposed to do it for a year but then he ended up liking it. Now he manages the team as well as takes care of our sticks, water, jerseys...even learned how to sharpen skates. He's pretty proud of himself..."

"I see..."sighed Setsuna as she began to calm down. She was relieved that it was a young kid who had Yunagi rather than some sketchy man. "...I guess that's ok then...as long as Yunagi is being taken care of..."

Konoka patted the raven haired girl on the back with a smile. "Don't worry about it...Yunagi is in very good hands. Anyway let's get to the gym, I'm pumped to get started!"

Setsuna went back over to her gear bag and grabbed a pair of black Under Armour shorts, a matching black sleeveless shirt and her favourite pair of trainers before heading out the door with Konoka. She was still a little unnerved that someone was touching her stick, but was trying to brush it off as she glanced at the goalie beside her. The defenseman was happy to be helping her out, and was looking forward to spending time with her. Hopefully, things would work out between them and maybe, maybe Konoka's history of hook ups will end with her.

 

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Setsuna gently pulled out her hair tie and let her raven hair fall loosely around her shoulders. She shook it out to allow her head to feel relived from being up all day before reaching down to the bottom of her shirt to pull it over her head. She bunched up her t-shirt with her school uniform and threw it into her locker as she reached down to the bench behind her for her shirt. The defenseman now started to remove her school skirt and shorts she wore under it before yanking on the black basketball shorts and then reached up to throw her hair back into its' signature side pony. Finally, Setsuna threw on her favourite sneakers and bent down to tie them. She was nearly done when she heard Konoka returning from a mirror in the bathroom to tie her hair back. Looking up to make fun of her for taking so long, Setsuna almost lost balance as she took in the sight in front of her.

_Whoa...are...are those really gym clothes?..._

Konoka had changed quickly and left for the bathroom area before Setsuna had a chance to look at her. Right now, the goalie was wearing short spandex Under Armour shorts that stopped about halfway down her thigh and a tight fitting red Warriors sports bra. Setsuna blinked for a moment as she took in Konoka's flawless and curvy body before clearing her throat and returning back to tying her sneakers. Konoka on the other hand, smiled to herself as she noticed the defenseman's ear poke out from beneath her hair, bright red. At least she knew Setsuna was somewhat attracted to her, that was obvious. The goalie went back over to her lower locker to grab her sneakers. She bent down to reach in the back to retrieve them when she heard the bang of a locker door being quickly slammed shut. When she turned around, she saw that Setsuna was leaning against her locker, trying to look as innocent as possible.

"Ready to go?" asked Konoka, hiding a smile.

"Yeah...yeah I'm good..." Setsuna was about to head for the gym door when realized her room key was still sitting on the bench. Not wanting to look like she got distracted from staring at Konoka's butt and then going into a panic when the goalie looked like she was going to turn around, Setsuna picked it up and jammed it into her pocket. "Alright, let's go!"

With an awkward pump of her fist into the air, Setsuna lead the still quietly giggling Konoka out to the large workout facility. Now Setsuna would finally be able to concentrate on working out with Konoka because she was in her element. It would just be the two of them, no distractions, together. The last thought was quickly interrupted when a small group of girls made their way up to Konoka, completely ignoring the fact that the defenseman was even there as they gathered around the goaltender.

"Hey Konoka, glad to see you back in the gym..." began one girl with short black hair who Setsuna had recognized to be from another sixth year class. "I mean, not that you need it or anything..."

Konoka fidgeted a little and tried to hide her uncomfortable feeling as she glanced behind the girls and saw Setsuna's surprised face. She desperately needed to get out of this situation. "...Thanks...anyway I really need to get started on my workout...coach says it's mandatory now so..."

Another one of the girls spoke up. "Takahata is forcing you to strain yourself when you obviously don't need too? If you want, I could go talk to him for you..."

"Or I could help you with your training!" added another girl quickly.

"No, that's alright...I think I'm going to be fi-..." started Konoka as she tried to swiftly move away from the group.

"Oh come on Konoka...it's really no problem. I'm pretty good with weights and...I know my way around..." interrupted the same girl as she grabbed Konoka's arm.

Before the goalie had any time to react, Setsuna slipped in through the group and carefully removed the offending girls hand from Konoka's arm. She then stepped up between the two and looked the girl in the eye with an intimidating, yet cool and dark stare. The group of girls all seemed to back down when they saw how protective the raven haired girl in front of them was. Setsuna continued to stare down the grabby girl as she began to speak.

"Konoka won't be needing any sort of help from you, as I am more than qualified to help with her training." she watched as the girl tried to puff herself up to match her intimidation level, but quickly deflated when she noticed Setsuna wasn't backing down. The defenseman smirked as she saw the girl back down. "Now, If you'll excuse us...we've got some serious work to do and don't have any more time for messing around..."

With that, Setsuna gently took Konoka by the hand and lead her away from the stunned group of girls. Konoka was also in shock at how direct and serious the defenseman had been. She couldn't help but look at her protector in awe and a new found feeling of appreciation. She also couldn't help but feel completely turned on from watching Setsuna basically man handle the group without as much as a second thought. The goalie began to heat up as she realized that Setsuna was holding her hand and leading her around. Her face was even beginning to redden as her thoughts became more intimate and detailed. After a few moments, she realised that they had stopped walking and that Setsuna was now talking to her, explaining what they were going to do first. Konoka quickly brought her attention back just as Setsuna was finishing her explanation.

"...and we'll do all that after we finish the warm up on the treadmills, alright?" asked the defenseman.

Konoka nodded quickly and decided that she was going to have to pay extra attention to what happened from here on out in order to cover up her lack of attention. "Yeah, sounds good..."

The two grabbed a pair of treadmills that were right next to each other and hoped on to start their warm up. The whole time they were running, Setsuna found it extremely difficult to not just stop and stare at how the goalie was jogging beside her. Despite the nice fast pace Konoka was going, to Setsuna it was like she was running in slow motion. She shook her head and continued to warm up as she tried to get the image of Konoka's bouncing chest out of her head. After warming up, the pair began to stretch and then made their way to the weight room. They worked on everything from their arms to their legs and back up again, making sure to get everything possible out of their workout. By the time they had finished and made their way back to an empty mat to stretch out on, both girls were drenched with sweat. Konoka sat down and started to work out her legs when she noticed the defenseman lift up the bottom of her shirt to dry off her face, exposing her tight and toned stomach. The goalie's mind once again began to race away from her with thoughts about Setsuna.

"That was good time Konoka. I'm glad you asked me to help you out." said Setsuna as she gently let the shirt fall back over her stomach.

Konoka blinked back into existence. "Hmmm? Oh yeah...no problem. I had a good time too..." she swiftly got up from her spot on the ground and made her way over to Setsuna. She grabbed her hand and started to move towards the change room. "Let's hurry up and shower so we can get out of here..."

Setsuna quickly hid a blush when she pictured a naked Konoka with water streaming down her from the shower head. She shook her head, hoping to get rid of the image before it had a chance to settle. Before she even realised it, the defenseman found herself standing under a shower facing the wall while Konoka was doing the same beside her. It was taking everything she possibly had in her to keep her eyes from wondering over to the goalie's body. To distract herself, the defenseman attempted to sing in her head, failing as the only song that came to mind was "Pour Some Sugar On me" by Def Leopard. She turned her head and coughed to hide sharp surprised intake of breath and a blush as the music in her head and the image of Konoka showering made it feel like she was in the middle of some hot fantasy. As soon as Setsuna finished washing her hair, she basically ran out of the shower and threw on her clothes in an attempt to clear her head.

Once Konoka was finished getting dressed, the two girls made their way back to the dorms after stopping to have a quick dinner at the meal hall. They jugged up the stairs and made their way down the hallway to their rooms. It was late now, and Setsuna was looking forward to grabbing her pillow and falling into a deep sleep. She waved goodbye to Konoka before reaching down into her pocket to retrieve her key. The defenseman became extremely confused when her hand came back out empty. Then she realized that she had put the key into her shorts pocket at the gym. She reached into her bag and rummaged around for the shorts, instantly running her hand into the pocket for her key. Panic now struck her as she felt around both pockets and found nothing.

_Damn it! It must have fallen out of my pocket during our workout...shit what am I going to do now? The gym's closed and it's too late for anyone to be downstairs at the management desk... crap..._

Setsuna took a deep breath and slowly began to make her way to Konoka and Asuna's room. She stood there with her head down as she knocked on the door. Much to her dislike, the girl who answered the door was not Konoka but Asuna. Her captain took one look at her and rolled her eyes as she called Konoka over to the door. Within seconds, the goalie bounded over and smiled at the two of them.

"Konoka...I've apparently lost my room key at the gym and now I'm locked out..." she looked pleadingly at the chocolate haired goddess in front of her.

Konoka giggled and Asuna stood there, stone faced as she quickly understood what the goalie was about to let happen. "I'll go grab an extra blanket for the couch..." said the red headed captain before quickly removing herself from the situation.

 

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Setsuna had been lying awake on the couch for at least two hours, staring at the ceiling. She couldn't help but feel restless laying here, in nothing but her boxer shorts and sports bra in Konoka's dorm room. Only a few feet away from where she was laying was Asuna and Konoka's bunk beds, she could even see the gentle rise and fall of the goalie's body from under the blankets as she breathed while fast asleep. She had resorted to looking out the window across from her current position in order to distract herself. It had begun to rain a few minutes ago, and usually the sound of it falling along with the peaceful way the drops fell down the window were enough to send the defenseman into the deepest of sleeps; right now however, it was doing nothing. Finally, Setsuna decided that she needed to burn off some extra energy, so she slowly and quietly pulled on her under shorts and the t-shirt she wore under her uniform before carefully opening up the door and slipping out. The only thing that would tire her out now would be a good run in the rain.

A short time later, Konoka was stirred awake as she heard the door handle to her room slowly turn. With a quick glance, she noticed that Setsuna was no longer on the couch and that it must be her returning from the bathroom or something. Instead of getting up to greet her back, Konoka laid there perfectly quiet, and pretended to be asleep just as Setsuna entered the room. The goalie squinted her eyes slightly open as she watched the raven haired girl walk over to the couch. Her heart began to beat faster as she realized that Setsuna was dripping wet and was now reaching down to remove her wet clothes.

She watched, feeling slightly creepy when she realized that she was invading Setsuna's supposed privacy. She mentally shrugged it off and continued her bout of voyeurism. The defenseman had now removed her wet shirt and was using it to shake out as much rain as possible from her hair. The little amount of light from the moon peeking out from behind some rain clouds streamed into the room and just barely light up Setsuna's body. She had now taken off her shorts and was still using the semi wet t-shirt to dry off any escaping droplets from her hair on her body. Konoka quietly pinched her arm to make sure that she wasn't actually dreaming right now and became extremely hot when she realized that she wasn't. She continued to watch as Setsuna stretched out her powerful looking arms before rolling her shoulders and making her way back to the couch. With one swift movement, the defenseman was back under the blanket that Asuna had reluctantly provided for her.

Konoka still couldn't believe that she had actually just seen Setsuna the way she had. She was slightly put off when the defenseman hide herself away, and was also extremely tempted to quietly get out of he own bed and join her on the couch for a little fun time. Just as she found herself reaching for the blanket to pull it off herself, Konoka froze.

_No, I'm not going to do this...this is not how I want to get Setsuna to like me. I'm not just going to pounce on her like a piece of meat...she's my protector and deserves better than that. I'll play fair..._

With that Konoka gently turned over and brought her attention away from Setsuna. She quietly yawned and scratched at her nose before closing her eyes and quickly fell back to sleep, thoughts of Setsuna still slowly bouncing around in her subconscious.


End file.
